6,831 research outputs found
Benedetto Accolti D'arezzo, Florentine lawyer, humanist and chancellor.
No full textPhDThe purpose of this dissertation is to study the life
and works of the Florentine lawyer, humanist and chancellor,
Benedetto Accolti d'Arezzo, who lived from 1415 to 1464.
The first chapter is a history of the Accolti family before
about 1430. In Chapter II Accolti's early life and works
are discussed. Chapter III is an account of Accolti's career
as first chancellor of Florence from 1458 until his
death in 1464. Chapter IV presents an analysis of Accolti's
dialogue De
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prestantia virorum sui evi. In Chapter V Accolti's
history of the First Crusade, De bello a christianis
contra barbaros gesto is related to Florentine diplomacy
in the eastern Mediterranean. Chapter VI contains a study
of Accolti's use of sources in De bello and a discussion
of its place in the classical tradition of historiography
Implications of the Improvement of Teaching Quality for Professional Development (PD) of Academics at the Colleges of Applied Sciences (CASs) in the Sultanate of Oman
No full textThe Oman Accreditation Council (OAC), which is called later the Oman Academic Accreditation Authority (OAAA), designed a higher education institution (HEI) Quality Assurance (QA) framework for Omani public and private Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), starting with a quality audit process in 2008. The Colleges of Applied Sciences (CASs), as a public HEI, are required to ensure the quality of all services and activities to meet particular national standards (specified in the framework) in order to gain a HEI and programme certificate. In line with a quality audit scope, the quality of the fields of PD and related teaching quality should be ensured and enhanced by the promotion and contribution of the former field to the maintenance and improvement of the latter one.
The chief purpose of this study was to identify the uptake and implications of the growing requirement to improve teaching quality and the PD of academics at the CASs in the Sultanate of Oman especially in the context of the application of the QA framework. The study focused on examining the academics’ participation in professional development programmes (PDPs) and current perceptions of PD with respect to the improvement of teaching quality improvement at these colleges. The current study also dealt with a reorganization and prioritization of academics’ PD needs, barriers to effective PD, and factors to enhance PD of academics regarding teaching quality improvement in the colleges.
Based on the purpose and research objectives, the current study adopted both positivist (quantitative) and interpretive (qualitative) research paradigms. Because the study perused quantitative and qualitative data regarding certain variables, it chose a mixed-research design. The researcher designed survey questionnaire to collect quantitative data and a semi-structured interview and a focus group discussion to probe and interpret quantitative findings. After fulfillment of the validity and reliability measurements, a self-completion questionnaire was distributed to a stratified random sample of academics (170) over the six CASs. A total of 150 questionnaires (out of 170) were completed and returned and the response-rate reached 88.2%. The quantitative data was analyzed by appropriate analysis using the Statistical Package for Social sciences (SPSS), while the qualitative data was analyzed by appropriate qualitative analysis.
The findings of the study showed that the level of academics’ participation in PDPs to improve teaching quality in the last two years in the CASs seems to be unsatisfactorily low. The current perceptions of the PD situations in the colleges, relating to teaching quality improvement, signified a shortage in the number of available PDPs and/or a discouragement of academics’ participation in these programmes in the last two years. The study also revealed all the 22 PD needs of academics regarding the improvement of teaching quality are significantly demanded by participants; the higher rated needs focused on a development of ‘student centred’ skills, such as critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Furthermore, the study illustrated that the highest significant perceived barriers to effective PD in the CASs, as related to teaching quality improvement, focus on a lack of a clear institutional PD policy and a lack of appropriately systematic PD plans. The study also revealed all 10 perceived factors to enhance PD regarding teaching quality improvement are very important. The most significant factors represented and stressed particular problematic issues (the high rated barriers) and a reduction of a heavy workload to enhance academics’ participation in PD regarding the improvement of teaching quality.
Conclusions drawn from the discussion of the findings of study include a lack of a clear PD policy at national and institutional levels and absence of a particular authority/unit concerning PD issues in Omani HEIs. The two problematic issues resulted in a lack of systematic and realistic PD plans in the CASs, involving a lack of academics’ involvement in PD plans, a misconnection of academics’ PD needs to PD, inappropriate facilities and resources allocation, and inappropriate evaluation processes of PD. In addition, the conclusions also include that PD of academics regarding the improvement of teaching quality in the colleges requires more attention and focus to manage particular significant issues perceived by participants as both barriers and potential facilitators relating to PD of academics.
Based on identified conclusions, particular implications for policy and practice to enhance PD to improve teaching quality were set at three levels: governmental, institutional, and individual. Moreover, achievements of the current study according to the research questions were identified and contributions of the study to the fields of PD, teaching quality, and the context of QA and quality audit in HE were addressed. Based on the findings and conclusions, particular directions and recommended issues were suggested to be studied by further research to benefit the enhancement of PD and related teaching quality improvement
Marzullo tra Omero e la lirica arcaica
No full textIl saggio traccia il profilo degli studi di Benedetto Marzullo sulla poesia epica e la lirica greca arcaica alla luce delle più recenti ricerche, che nell’opera di Benedetto Marzullo hanno un’imprescindibile punto di partenzaThe paper traces the profile of the studies of Benedetto Marzullo on ancient Greek epic poetry and archaic Greek lyric in the light of the most recent research, which in the work of Benedetto Marzullo have an essential starting point
CATALYTIC ACTIVITY OF PD(ACO)2 COORDINATED TO CROSS-LINKED POLYMERIC ISOCYANIDES
No full textPalladium acetate (Pd (AcO)2) undergoes easy and quantitative coordination to hydrophilic macromolecular isocyanides to give monoisocyano-Pd(AcO)2 species, circled P-NC-Pd. These macromolecular complexes are the precursors of the active, versatile and reusable catalyst for the hydrogenation of 1-hexene, 1,5-cyclooctadiene, phenylacetylene, benzaldehyde, trans-2-hexenal and nitrobenzene under mild conditions. Direct (ESCA) and indirect (IR) evidence suggest that Pd(II) undergoes reduction to Pd0. Circled P-NC-Pd catalysts are also active, but not reusable, for the double bond migration reaction in terminal olefins. Circled P-NC-Pd are very poor catalysts for the telomerization of butadiene with 2-methoxycarbonylcyclohexanone, carbon dioxide, enamines and acetaldehyde. Severe metal leaching is observed and the apparent catalytic activity is most likely a homogeneous phase phenomenon
Fullerene-like WS<sub>2</sub> supported Pd catalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction
No full textHydrogen is the most desirable green energy carrier and electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) from water is a promising route for hydrogen production. The search for efficient, low-cost HER catalysts is a challenging and attracting topic. In this work, we report that inorganic fullerene-like WS2 supported Pd nanoparticles (Pd/WS2), with Pd loading of 0.76 wt%, are active for electrocatalytic HER conducted in 0.5 M H2SO4 solution, with overpotential at 10 mA cm−2 current density of ~130 mV and Tafel slope of 82.4 mV dec−1, which is comparable to that of Pt/WS2 (0.88 wt% Pt loading) with higher costs. Characteristic results indicate that WO3 impurities were in-situ produced on the WS2 surface and the Pd NPs are primarily located inside the WS2 nanocages. Contrasting experiments suggest that the WO3 impurities play a crucial role in generating Hads intermediate and the Pd NPs are active sites of H2 production, and a reaction mechanism is proposed. The Pd/WS2 catalyst also shows good long-term stability owing to the location of Pd NPs inside the WS2 cages. The high HER activity, low costs and good stability make the Pd catalyst a potential alternative to Pt catalyst for HER.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Micro and Nano Engineerin
Benedetto da Maiano maestro di terracotte: l’“Angelo” della Carrara
No full texthttps://www.lacarrara.it/event/letture-morelliane/; http://www.giornaledellisola.it/gdionline/articoli2016/AccCarrara_Weekend-in-Carrara_10-12giugno2016.pd
Problems with variation: an educational experience of cultural transposition with prospective primary teachers
No full textThe paper presents some theoretical reflections and some methodological notes about a Professional Development (PD) path worked out during the last two years by Italian researchers for prospective Primary teachers. The theoretical construct of Cultural Transposition defines the framework of the PD path’s activities and the related research. It was used to define an interesting cultural lent to delineate possible new approaches for effective pre-service teacher education programs, in particular for the Primary level. The defined methodology was based on the possibility to reflect about the decentralization of didactic practices based on a specific cultural context through one or more contacts with other “realities” coming out from different selected cultural contexts. In the last section of the paper we argue that the contact with a different didactic perspective coming from the Chinese “problems with variation” (one of the stimuli proposed in the PD’ path), encouraged some reflections by the Italian pre-service teachers on the use of “variation” in Math word-problems for an early approach to Algebra in Primary level
Inherited macular Pattern Dystrophies: a case report, diagnostic methodology, state of the art
No full textDiscreet chorioretinal spots are a characteristic of the Pattern Dystrophics (PD) that include a small group of disorders with pigmentary changes in the posterior fundus, including the macular region. These disorders are transmitted as either Autosomal Recessive or Dominant trait and can be observed in association with maternal diabetes mellitus and deafness. This report was performed with three aims: 1. to present a clinical case of PD in a Young girl and her family; 2. to elucidate the complex panel of diagnostic Hi-Tech techniques; 3. to describe the State of the Art in this field of retinal alterations. The complex diagnostic procedure, when examined at the light of the consolidated bibliography, confirms the importance of the new Hi-Tech instrumentation as an indispensable tool for an early diagnosis of PD. Clin Ter 2008, 159(6):42 7-43
PON WORK PACKAGE WP1b – Analisi contaminanti inorganici (metalli e metalloidi)
No full textObiettivi generali
Produrre una cartografia geochimica relativamente alla distribuzione di 53 elementi inorganici (metalli e metalloidi) nei suoli superficiali (top soils) dell’intera Regione Campania.
Obiettivi specifici
Il progetto si propone di completare per l’intera Regione Campania, il lavoro già completato dal gruppo di ricerca del Prof. De Vivo, relativamente ai suoli delle aree metropolitane e provinciali di Napoli, per i territori comunali di Avellino, Benevento, Caserta e Salerno, e per i territori del SIN Litotale Domizio-Flegreo e Agro Aversano. I suoli campionati (circa 11.000, con una densità di 1 campione composito/kmq) )saranno analizzati per le determinazioni dei seguenti elementi inorganici (53): Ag, Al, As, Au, B, Ba, Be, Bi, Ca, Cd, Ce, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Fe, Ga, Ge, Hf, Hg, K, In, La, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Nb, Ni, P, Pb, Pd, Pt, Rb, Re, S, Sb, Sc, Se, Sn, Sr, Ta, Te, Th, Ti, Tl, U, V, Y, W, Zn, Zr. In ogni sito campionato saranno effettuate misure di radioattività, sia parziale (U, Th, K) che totale (U+Th+K).
Oltre alla determinazione dei valori background per i parametri chimici sopra elencati, il programma si pone l’obiettivo: a) di definire la reale interazione degli elementi inquinanti nei suoli attraverspo sperimentazioni volte a quantificare la bio-disponibilità di alcuni elementi (quelli tossici); b) di definire il livello di inquinamento nei suoli di “nuovi” inquinanti quali i platinoidi (Pd, Pt) immessi nell’ambiente dalle marmitte catalitiche (in particolare nelle aree più urbanizzate); c) di individuare le principali sorgenti di inquinamento attraverso analisi degli isotopi del Pb; d) di determinare le concentrazioni della radioattività parziale (U, Th e K) e totale (U+Th+K), attraverso indagini radiometriche
Enhanced T-Cell Immunity to Osteosarcoma Through Antibody Blockade of PD-1/PD-L1 Interactions
No full textabstract: Osteosarcoma is the most common bone cancer in children and adolescents. Although 70% of patients with localized disease are cured with chemotherapy and surgical resection, patients with metastatic osteosarcoma are typically refractory to treatment. Numerous lines of evidence suggest that cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) limit the development of metastatic osteosarcoma. We have investigated the role of PD-1, an inhibitory TNFR family protein expressed on CTLs, in limiting the efficacy of immune-mediated control of metastatic osteosarcoma. We show that human metastatic, but not primary, osteosarcoma tumors express a ligand for PD-1 (PD-L1) and that tumor-infiltrating CTLs express PD-1, suggesting this pathway may limit CTLs control of metastatic osteosarcoma in patients. PD-L1 is also expressed on the K7M2 osteosarcoma tumor cell line that establishes metastases in mice, and PD-1 is expressed on tumor-infiltrating CTLs during disease progression. Blockade of PD-1/PD-L1 interactions dramatically improves the function of osteosarcoma-reactive CTLs in vitro and in vivo, and results in decreased tumor burden and increased survival in the K7M2 mouse model of metastatic osteosarcoma. Our results suggest that blockade of PD-1/PD-L1 interactions in patients with metastatic osteosarcoma should be pursued as a therapeutic strategy.This is a non-final version of an article published in final form as Lussier, Danielle M., O'Neill, Lauren, Nieves, Lizbeth M., McAfee, Megan S., Holechek, Susan A., Collins, Andrea W., Dickman, Paul, Jacobsen, Jeffrey, Hingorani, Pooja, & Blattman, Joseph N. (2015). Enhanced T-Cell Immunity to Osteosarcoma Through Antibody Blockade of PD-1/PD-L1 Interactions. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOTHERAPY, 38(3), 96-106. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/CJI.000000000000006
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